Prompt 42: Haley gets bullied
by FYeahAlexJo
Summary: Prompt: Jolex dealing with their daughter being bullied at school (any age)


Jo struggled to juggle a bag of groceries in one hand and Landon in his car seat in another as she walked up the walkway to the house. Before she could attempt to open the door it swung open with a relieved looking Alex, who anxiously took the car seat from her, "Thank God you're home."

Jo laughed slightly, "You act like you didn't just see me a couple of hours ago. What's wrong?"

Alex trailed her into the kitchen and took Landon out of the car seat as Jo put up the groceries. "We have a problem with Hales."

At this, Jo turned back to him, her eyes narrowed with concern, "What happened?"

He placed Landon on his shoulder and rubbed the small child's back, "I don't know. She was sniffling when I picked her up from after-school and when I asked what was wrong she started crying and asking why she was ugly. I tried to talk to her, but everything I said made her cry more."

Jo smiled comfortingly and walked over to rub his shoulder, "I'm sure that had nothing to do with you. Here let me put him in his playpen while we talk to her."

Alex's eyes widened, "We? Couldn't you just do it?"

Jo rolled her eyes as she took Landon from him, "Alex, she's fine. I'm sure of it. We just need to figure it out."

Alex sighed, "If you say so."

She smiled and kissed his cheek before walking into the living room and calling up the stairs, "Haley? Can you come down here, please?"

Alex watched her from where he was leaning against the doorway, "Do I really have to be here? I can't stand seeing her cry."

Jo smiled sweetly at him as she straightened back up, "You'll be fine. If it's something serious she'll want you there."

He rolled his eyes and walked back to the kitchen, "You're getting way too good at giving out guilt trips."

Jo smiled to herself as Haley walked down the stairs slowly. She beamed at her daughter, "Hey baby, how was your day?"

Haley looked down and mumbled, "Okay."

Jo raised an eyebrow, instantly concerned, "Why don't we have some chocolate milk and you can tell me about it." Haley nodded, but didn't answer, making Jo worry even more. They walked into the kitchen, where Alex was putting up dishes from the dishwasher. Jo moved past the bar to make Haley her promised chocolate milk. She looked over at Alex, who still looked petrified, "Do you want some too?"

He walked past her and murmured, "Can you spike it with bourbon?"

She tried to hide her smile as she turned back to Haley, who had climbed on a barstool. She set the glass in front of her daughter and waited for her approval. When Haley smiled and gave a happy, "Yum," Jo smiled back at her before drinking some of her milk.

She waited a bit, hoping Haley would open up without being prompted, but after a bit she set her glass down and propped herself on her forearms on the bar, "So Hales how was school today?"

Haley's eyes instantly watered as Alex gave a panicked look from the barstool he had sat down in. She began sniffling and murmured, "Okay."

Jo tilted her head, trying to meet the young girl's eyes, "It doesn't seem like it was okay. Did you get in trouble?" Haley shook her head no, but kept looking down. "Did you fall or hurt yourself?" Haley again shook her head. Jo looked to Alex in worry, "Did you get in a fight with someone?"

Haley's head shot up to meet her mother's eyes, "I didn't mean to."

Jo nodded, "What did you mean to do?"

Haley shook her head and looked up at Alex for help. He gave a small lopsided grin, "You can tell us Hales. We won't get angry."

"I called Brian a hungry butt muncher."

Jo bit her lip to keep from smiling, "And why did you call Brian a hungry butt muncher?"

"Cause he said I'm so ugly no one likes me. And he said that's why I don't have grandparents to come see me for grandparents' day and why I can't draw good and that my breath smells like monster farts." She quickly put her head in her folded arms on the bar, "I hate Brian."

Jo's eyes snapped to Alex's, who looked like he could punch something at any moment. She ran her hand softly over Haley's hair, "Haley baby, you are not ugly. At all. And none of that other stuff is true either."

"He's probably just saying that because he likes you," Alex offered weakly.

Jo snapped her neck to look at him, "Don't spread that story."

He shrugged his shoulders defensively, "What? It's the truth. I was ugly to you when I liked you."

Haley looked up at her father, "You were mean to mommy?"

He tried to avoid Jo's stare, "Well yeah. Because I didn't know how to let her know I liked her so I was mean."

Haley scrunched up her face in confusion, "That sounds dumb, daddy."

Jo snickered before admonishing her, "Haley, we don't say things are dumb, remember?" When Haley nodded she continued, "Haley, people that are mean for no reason are just bullies. That's all they are. And do you know what a bully is?" When Haley shook her head, Jo met her eyes, "Bullies are just sad or scared or mad people that try to make others sad. That's all. Brian isn't happy so he doesn't want you to be happy either."

"Why isn't he happy?" Haley asked genuinely curious.

"I don't know honey."

Haley scrunched her face in anger, "That's stupid. He's just mean. I still hate him."

Jo smiled softly at her, "Maybe he needs a friend. You know Daddy was a bully before I met him."

Haley looked at Alex quickly, "Why?"

Alex cleared his throat nervously, "Because I was mad all the time and I took it out on people around me."

Haley looked at the bar sadly, "Why?"

"Because I needed people to listen and be nice to me. And people that should have been nice to me weren't."

She met his eyes with disapproval, "That's bad, Daddy."

"Hey Mommy was a bully too," he added defensively.

Jo rolled her eyes as Haley looked up at her, "Really?"

Jo nodded, "I didn't have anyone to talk to about things and that made me sad and mad. I feel bad about it now because it wasn't right. Haley, what we are saying is, those things that bullies say….it's not about you. A lot of times, bullies say things to people that they really want to say to other people. Does that make sense?"

When Haley shook her head, Alex placed his hand on her shoulder, "Hales, when I was your age my dad was a bully to me and instead of saying mean things to him, I said mean things to people at school and to my brother. Because I couldn't say those things to my dad. It was not right, but it's what I did. What Mommy's trying to say is: when Brian says something mean to you, he may be just pretending he's talking to someone else. He may be acting like I did."

"Oooooh." Haley answered with her eyes wide.

Jo smiled appreciatively at Alex before looking back at Haley, "So try to ignore him Haley. And if he doesn't stop and you need to tell the teacher, tell the teacher. Okay?"

Haley nodded, "Okay."

Jo looked at her studiously, "But Hales, I promise none of what he said is true. Okay?"

She nodded slightly, "Okay."

Alex propped his hand on the barstool behind his daughter, "You're a pretty great kid, Hales. Don't let one person make you think different, okay?"

When Haley nodded enthusiastically, Jo smiled at her and asked, "Do you have any questions, Haley?"

She looked between them with wide eyes, "Can I go play now?"

Jo nodded and winked at her, "Yeah, go play while we fix supper, okay?"

Jo and Alex both watched as she left the kitchen and then simultaneously let out the breath they were both holding. Alex looked back over at Jo, "That was rough."

She grinned as she picked up the empty glasses to take to the sink, "Could have been worse. I knew for sure we were about to have to go into the grandparent talk again there at the end."

Alex walked up behind her to nuzzle her neck, "Mmmmhmmm, I got scared when you actually asked her for more questions. What were you thinking?"

Jo laughed, "I was thinking I want to know what's going on our daughter's mind."

Alex nodded, "Okay, I'll give you that. But if she had asked where we got Landon, I would have walked out so you could deal with that."

Jo turned in his arms with a surprised look on her face and teased, "Oh no, I handled where bullies come from, you can handle explaining babies."


End file.
